The U.S. Census Bureau, in its annual look at poverty in the United States, said that the poverty rate in 2013 was 14.5 percent, down from 15 percent in 2012. The decrease in the poverty rate was attributed to the growth in year-round employment by 2.8 million jobs in the United States, government officials said. Continue reading →

Newly released census data paints a mixed picture of America’s economy. The poverty rate remained stagnant. Wage gains have fallen below the level of inflation. And income inequality is at its highest in decades. Margaret Warner talks to New York Times’ David Leonhardt to parse the numbers on income, poverty, and health care. Continue reading →